Ohio State 30, Michigan 27 (2OT) | The great escape

Even if Ohio State goes on to win the national championship this season, that thrill might be the second sweetest the Buckeyes feel this season.

It's hard to imagine anything " even a second College Football Playoff title in three years " topping their 30-27 double-overtime victory over Michigan.

The largest crowd in Ohio Stadium " 110,045 emotion-whipped fans " witnessed one of the most exciting and improbable games in the history of the storied rivalry.

>>> Ohio State 30, Michigan 27: Full coverage

Never before had an Ohio State-Michigan game gone to overtime, let alone two overtimes.

'That is one of the classic games of this rivalry, because I know this rivalry as well as anybody,' said Buckeyes coach Urban Meyer, now 5-0 against the Wolverines.

'I'm not saying it's the greatest because that's disrespectful for the other players that have played in it. But that's an instant classic between two great teams. We knew it was going to be that way.'

This one between the second-ranked Buckeyes and third-ranked Wolverines had everything " controversial calls, potential goats and, in the end, clutch plays that will live forever in the rivalry's lore.

The winning sequence for Ohio State will be gushed about among Buckeyes fans and cursed by Michigan's. Curtis Samuel zigged away from disaster for an 8-yard gain to set up a fourth-and-1 at the 16. J.T. Barrett got hammered on the next play but was ruled to have made the first down. Samuel then scored on a 14-yard carry for the winning touchdown, sending fans swarming onto the field.

>>> Video: Postgame pandemonium at Ohio Stadium

Penn State's victory later in the afternoon over Michigan State ended the Buckeyes' chance of playing for the Big Ten title next week. But three victories over top-10 teams should be enough to get Ohio State (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) into the College Football Playoff.

For now, the Buckeyes just want to savor another victory over Michigan (10-2, 7-2).

'My favorite game of all time,' linebacker Raekwon McMillan said. '(Even compared to) winning a national championship, the Sugar Bowl (against Alabama), beating Penn State on the road my freshman year, I think this is the best game I've ever played in.

'This is the rivalry. This is the game that anybody who's an Ohio State fan or a Team Up North fan will remember for the rest of their life.'

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What made it so special was how unlikely a Buckeye victory seemed for most of the game. Michigan's offense, given a lift by the return of quarterback Wilton Speight, had the balance that Ohio State's lacked.

On the only two long drives the Buckeyes' offense had in the first 3 1/2 quarters, Tyler Durbin missed field goals, including a 20-yarder with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter that would have tied the score. Barrett was sacked eight times.

Only the Buckeyes' ball-hawking defense kept them close. A pick-six by safety Malik Hooker gave Ohio State a short-lived 7-3 lead and an interception by Jerome Baker set up a touchdown that cut Michigan's lead to 17-14 late in the third quarter.

Yet despite it all, the Buckeyes never stopped believing.

'It's just a testimony to the culture of the program and how we never stop swinging, never stop trying,' senior center Pat Elflein said. 'That's the whole motto of how we train year round.'

The Buckeyes sent the game into overtime with a 13-play, 77-yard drive that ended with Durbin making a 23-yard field goal with 1 second left.

>>> Video: Curtis Samuel on his winning touchdown

The fun was just starting. Ohio State needed only an 18-yard run by Samuel and 7-yard keeper by Barrett to score to open overtime. Michigan sent the game to another extra session with a clutch 5-yard pass from Speight to a diving Amara Darboh on fourth down.

Michigan had to settle for a field goal after a third-down incompletion on which Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh wanted pass interference on Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley. It was not forthcoming.

Then came Ohio State's final possession. On third-and-9, Samuel caught a screen pass on the right side, saw no daylight, reversed field and came within 2 feet of the first down.

Even Barrett wasn't sure whether he got that distance on fourth down. Harbaugh was sure he didn't.

'By that much,' he said, holding his hands at least a foot apart.

On the next play, Samuel took the handoff, followed blocks by running back Mike Weber and left tackle Jamarco Jones, and cruised into the end zone " and added another unforgettable chapter into the storied rivalry.

brabinowitz@dispatch.com

@brdispatch

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